The Twins Paradox by Alan Gasparutti (best contemporary novels txt) 📖

inconspicuously.”
“Good, good,” said Professor Wagstaff. “I'll go and switch them all on then, see if we can detect any life around here.”
“How far can the cameras see?” asked Lucas.
“Probably for about several Earth miles, as they're placed on the hill and looking down to the valley,” said Professor Wagstaff. “I can extend or sharpen the views if required.”
“I'd like one of you to keep an eye on the cameras at all times,” instructed Major Retono. “We don't want to miss anything.”
“I don't think we'll see much life around here, if you ask me,” Ramondo commented.
“We can still replay any film if we miss something,” said Professor Wagstaff.
“I know, I know, but that's not the point,” said Major Retono. “Anyway, I don't know about any of you, but I'm feeling a little tired right now, so I'm going to get some rest. Wake me up if you come across anything significant.”

While Major Retono was sleeping, two of the others took turns to watch the cameras. There seemed very little life, except for a few birds, sheep and insects. There appeared to be some people in the hamlet at the foot of the hill, but the pictures only showed the tops of a few heads behind garden fences. The main movements were down on the road beyond the hamlet, where small four-wheeled vehicles sped by in either direction. Every so often, another linked double-cabin transport vehicle could be seen running along tracks beyond the road. These seemed to run at regular intervals, so after about four had gone by, Professor Wagstaff went to call the Major.
“Major Retono, there's something that might be of interest,” said Professor Wagstaff. “I think they're called trains. They take people from one place to another.”
“Are they some kind of animal?” asked Major Retono
“No, no, no, they're a form of transport,” Professor Wagstaff explained. “You know those dual tracks on the other side of the valley we saw earlier. That's what they're designed for – for trains to run on them.”
“Are you saying that there is intelligent life travelling on board these trains?” queried Major Retono.
“Yes, yes, very much so,” replied Professor Wagstaff.
“So what are you alluding to?” asked the Major.
“Well, there are stations four, five miles down the line,” said Professor Wagstaff. “You'll probably come across intelligent people there, getting on or off the trains.”
“Hhmmm,” muttered Major Retono. “I remember seeing something on the tracks passing a bridge near the hamlet this morning. I could see a building further along the tracks, but I couldn't make out what it was. It wasn't lit-up at the time, though by the time I returned back to the cave, I noticed a light further up the valley.”
Professor Wagstaff took the Major to see the camera pictures. He then turned the camera looking towards the railway, and moved the view further up the valley. He then stopped when the station came into focus. There appeared to be two rectangular objects, possibly connected beside a platform.
“Interesting,” Major Retono muttered. “I suppose they’re the trains.”
“Train carriages,” Professor Wagstaff corrected him.
No-one appeared to be alighting from the train however. After about 30 seconds, a man walked to the front carriage before walking back to the rear of the second carriage. He then seemed to board the carriage, before waving a flag. The train then slowly departed, gaining speed as it went.
“That's where we'll go tonight,” said Major Retono. “Professor, get me a map of the local area.”
Professor Wagstaff obliged.
As they each looked at the map, they noticed a broken red line heading up the valley.
Major Retono thought he knew where this might be, as he remembered noticing some steps beside a fence that morning, near the path from the hamlet. This broken red line led to the railway tracks. He then called Ramondo over.
As Professor Wagstaff looked at the map, he noticed that the broken red line represented a footpath, and pointed this out to the Major.
“I think we should follow that footpath tonight,” suggested Major Retono. ”We can then follow the railway line, until we get to the station. What do you say?”
Professor Wagstaff and Ramondo each agreed. They then called some of the others over to discuss this.
“We'll set off before dark,” instructed Major Retono. “That'll give us some time when we get to the station.”
“What if you come across someone?” asked Gaspar.
“We'll take that chance,” said Major Retono. “If anyone asks, we can say we've been caving.”
“Do you think anybody goes exploring caves?” queried Professor Wagstaff.
“I don't know,” replied Major Retono. “If we do come across someone, perhaps we could try having a conversation. We look similar, and speak the same tongue, after all. I've seen enough people to know that they won't exactly query if we're from outer space.”

At about 8 pm that evening, Major Retono led a group of four, with Ramondo, Gaspar, Lucas and Madaly, through the cave. When they got to the entrance, they could see the sun just above Ingleborough, and moving ever-lower in the sky.
“Do you have the map with you?” he asked Gaspar.
“I'm just opening it, Major,” Gaspar replied, before he put it on the ground.
The wind was blowing, so Madaly put a few stones at each end to keep the map down. Major Retono then showed the broken red lines on the map, and pointed to the stile further along the footpath ahead.
“When we get to the stile, we should climb over it, and follow the footpath,” Major Retono told the others. “This should lead to the railway line, those tracks you can just make out in the distance.”
“Are you sure this will be okay?” Gaspar asked.
“It should be,” said the Major. “The broken red lines are shown to be a public footpath, so this will give us right-of-way (I hope). If there are any problems, I've worked out an alternate route to follow.”
“And what would that be, Major?” asked Ramondo.
“Our first aim is to get to the railway,” said Major Retono. “If we can't get to it over the stile, we can continue along this path, which leads to the hamlet at the foot of the fell. From there we can get to the railway.”
“What will we do when we get to the railway?” asked Lucas.
“We'll then follow the railway until we get to the station further up the valley,” said Major Retono. “It should be safe, there don't appear to be any trains running at night.”
They each took a deep breath, as they looked around the fells.
“Lucas, do you have the replicator?” the Major asked.
“Yes sir,” Lucas replied.
Gaspar then picked up the map, before the Major led them away. When they reached the stile, Major Retono had a careful look ahead.
“This footpath seems to be okay,” he told the others. “Follow me all of you, and stay close. If any of you get into difficulty, let the rest of us know. Don't try doing things by yourself, and end up getting left behind.”
The others acknowledged him, and one by one climbed over the stile, following Major Retono. The sun had by now gone behind the fells, and the sky was becoming darker. The walk to the railway line was quite pleasant, a gentle stroll downhill. They could feel the mild wind blowing in their faces. It was a feeling none of them were familiar with. Madaly put her arm around Lucas as they proceeded. Eventually, the footpath led to a small bridge, which crossed the railway and led to the main road.
“What do we do here, Major?” asked Ramondo. “It's a bit too high to jump from here onto the tracks below.”
“I'm afraid you're right,” replied Major Retono. “There isn't exactly a footpath beside the railway, but there's no fence either. As we've come this far, I think we should proceed beside the railway. This shouldn't be long – you can see the station ahead.”
As they proceeded, the station became larger, and they could see rails leading off the main line, too. They continued until they came to the platform. Before the platform, however, were some wooden boards crossing the tracks.
“This must be a railway crossing,” said Major Retono. “The main station building is on the other side of the railway. We'll cross the tracks and see what's there.”
Major Retono first checked his watch. The time was 9.45 pm. He instructed the others to synchronise their watches, before checking both sides of the railway line. When he was confident the coast was clear, he led them across the tracks.
They noticed that what seemed to be a large station was in fact three small buildings. The first of them had a broken window, through which Gaspar shone his torch.
“Nothing in there, except a hole at the bottom of the wall,” he told the others. “It probably leads up to that thing on top of the building.”
“I think you mean chimney,” emphasised Major Retono. “Can you see any doors?”
“I can see a door, just around the corner,” said Gaspar.
“Lucas, go and see if you can open the door,” the Major ordered. “If you can't get in, we may have to go in through the window.”
Lucas tried to open the door, but found it to be locked tightly. He went back to inform the others.
“Gaspar, try to get into the building through the broken window,” instructed Major Retono. “I'm going to see if I can break the door lock with my laser.”
Major Retono went to the door. He saw a chain around the door, to which he fired his laser. The chain broke, but when he went to try to open the door, he found it was locked. Major Retono looked for the lock, and then shone his torch at it, before firing his laser towards the lock. This time he opened the door, and found Gaspar inside.
“There don't appear to be any lights in the building, none which work anyway,” Gaspar said to him. “Who'd live in a place like this?”
“Rats perhaps,” said Major Retono.
As he shone his torch across the room, they indeed noticed rodents running along the floor.
“Shall I destroy them, sir?” Gaspar asked.
“Not at this moment,” instructed Major Retono. “There are other things we need to sort out first. Lucas, have you got the replicator?”
“I've got it with me, sir,” Lucas replied as he entered the building.
“Pass it to me,” instructed Major Retono, before tuning the replicator towards lighting. He pointed it towards the light bulb on the ceiling. A light came on briefly, but then began to flicker before the light went altogether.
“The wiring is probably too old and damp to be of any use,” Major Retono said to Lucas and Gaspar.
He pointed the replicator towards the light switch on the wall, before switching it off. He then pointed the replicator up the wall and along the ceiling, until it pointed at the light bulb. He then asked Gaspar to switch the light on. This time the light stayed on.
“How did you do that, sir?” asked Lucas.
“I was replicating the original wiring, bringing it up to date,” said Major Retono. “Pretty useful device, this replicator, don’t you think?”
Lucas and Gaspar looked at eachother in awe. They then saw Major Retono point the replicator towards the skirting boards on the floor, before he did the same. What were old boards with mouse holes was now renewed, as was any wiring within it.
“How does that thing work, Major?” asked Gaspar.
“Come over here and I'll show you,” he said to him. “You see this panel. There are a number of pre-designs tuned into it. If I